Safdie discusses becoming an architect; moving from Israel to Canada at 15, his family background; attending McGill University; the work of Erich Mendelsohn in Palestine; his relationship to Richard Meier; and the work of other architects, including Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn, Frank Gehry, R.M. Schindler, and Richard Neutra; how being a Jew is central to his identity and his work; his significant buildings; critics' attitudes; clients' response; and 1992 projects.